


Little Lies

by AnssiIndustrial



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Chan is an oblivious idiot, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Foul Language, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Jeongin is bad at feelings, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, also an anxious bby boy, enemies to friends to lovers - not really tbh, mentioned other relationships - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 10:32:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19003978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnssiIndustrial/pseuds/AnssiIndustrial
Summary: Chan's parents are coming to visit after a few years of no contact whatsoever and he is: stressed. Thankfully he has good friends, who have even better ideas and...wait. What do you mean 'fake boyfriend'?





	Little Lies

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd.

“I don’t see why that is necessary… I mean, you are busy, I am busy, and really there’s no need for us to see each other… no, of course not… I see… You don’t have to raise your voice, I told you I can hear you perfectly fine… Yes… I’ll see you soon, I guess.”

 

Bang Chan disconnected the call and put down his phone to massage his fingers that had been gripping it hard enough to hurt. He fell down onto his bed and screamed into a pillow, trying not to disturb his flatmate. 

Apparently that didn’t work out, because not a minute later he heard a knock on the door.

 

“Everything all right there, Channie?”

Chan turned onto his back just as the door creaked and his childhood friend invited himself inside.

“My parents called,” was his only answer.

“Oh,” the bed dipped under additional weight next to him. “What did they say?”

 

Chan covered his eyes with his arm, trying to reign in the tears threatening to fall. He felt positively exhausted after only a short conversation, it was ridiculous.

“They want to visit us, Woojinnie” he whispered, not trusting his voice.

No more words were exchanged for a long while, as his friend knew very well what it meant and he couldn’t think of anything to say to make Chan feel better. 

 

A tentative hand touched his belly and rubbed soothing circles on it.

“What am I gonna do, Woojin?” he asked later, when he calmed down. 

Woojin had a pensive expression on his face, the very same that promised answers whenever Chan needed them.

“We’ll figure it out.”

 

*

 

Chan managed to build himself a good life. He graduated from university with good marks, he made some close friends there that he was meeting with regularly even now, he also managed to get a job that he liked. Life was good. Well… it could be better, but he didn’t really have a reason to complain. The only shadow falling on his happy life was his parents. 

 

They didn’t get on well whatsoever since he came out to them as soon as he left for university. There was a lot of shouting, tears and disappointment that gave Chan a lot of insecurities and anxiety. He felt, as if he truly lost them with that one confession. Woojin helped, they were best friends after all – and Woojin always had a warm presence and good advice for him - but still, there were moments when even he couldn’t mend what had been broken.

 

But Chan managed to create a safe environment for himself. He had Changbin, Jisung and Minho, each one of them bringing in a different mindset and comfort for his anxious self. He also had Felix, Hyunjin and Seungmin, who he became close with during his last years at university. 

He felt almost healed when he was with them.

 

Unfortunately, the last few months managed to shatter that impression.

His parents reached out to him after almost four years of silence. At first, he was ecstatic, thinking they finally wanted to cross the bridge they built all those years ago, and he enthusiastically answered all their questions, filling them in on his career and daily life. But then, it became apparent that they were dead set on ignoring one of the most important part of his adult life – his sexual orientation.

Their phone calls became more and more tiresome, leaving both parties angry beyond words. 

Chan felt cheated once again.

 

Which is why (after many nights of self reflection and long talks with Woojin), he decided to stop reaching out to them and just ignore everything for his own sake. Sure, he still answered some call from time to time, but they were rather short and to a point. He never made the mistake of opening up about himself ever again. 

It wasn’t ideal nevertheless, he still felt some guilt that prevented him from cutting them out of his life completely again.

 

Now they wanted to visit him and even while informing him about the date they decided on (without his input of course), they couldn’t help themselves from criticizing him and reminding him of his “disgraceful” choices.

Chan wanted to fall asleep and never wake up again.

Alas, he was supposed to go out to meet his friends…

“Ah, shit!” …in twenty minutes.

 

He packed his equipment quickly and left the studio in a hurry with his heavy bag. There was not enough time to drop by the flat to leave it there and change clothes.

He power walked through the city to reach the bar, where he and his seven friends gather weekly to spend some time together in spite of having busy schedules.

When he got there, he was drenched in sweat and panting, but fortunately he wasn’t that late. And good thing he wasn’t, otherwise Seungmin would nag at him all evening.

 

“Hi,” he said, slightly out of breath, in greeting and eight pairs of eyes turned his way.

… _eight?_

Chan suppressed a groan at the sight of their newest and youngest addition to the group – Jeongin, and plopped down on a chair next to Jisung.

No one told him _he_ would be there, and Chan wasn’t mentally prepared for his presence.

 

“Hi Channie, you made it!” Jisung put his arm around the blonde and smiled brightly.

“You’re lucky we didn’t order yet,” Seungmin narrowed his eyes. “I was just about to call you and yell at you."

Everyone laughed and went back to their usual bickering after greeting him.

Well, everyone but _him_. 

 

Jeongin stared at him, unblinking and poker-faced, even as Hyunjin and Felix yelled at each other over his head about some kind of science-fiction movie they’ve seen.

Chan looked away first, unnerved.

They weren’t friends _per se_. Jeongin was originally Hyunjin, Felix and Seungmin’s friend from university, that they brought to one of their outings a year or so ago, and he quickly became a part of their little group, joining them as often as he could. Everyone seemed to warm up to the boy pretty quickly, openly adoring his sassy jabs and dry sense of humor. 

He was tall and attractive, Chan couldn’t deny it (he had eyes) and he seemed like a good, caring guy. Just not towards Chan. 

Chan seriously, for the life of him, couldn’t remember what he did to offend the younger, but he seemed to hate him from the very first meeting. He always countered Chan’s every opinion, made sarcastic remarks every chance he got and… just stared at him in a judgmental way. It just… made Chan’s skin crawl and his anxiety spike up, so he went out of his way to never be alone with the boy.

 

They all managed to order fairly quickly and soon the table was full of food and alcohol. 

Chan engaged in a conversation with Jisung about their recent tracks in a conscious effort to ignore the ominous presence sitting in front of him. He managed to forget about all of his problems, both with his parents and Jeongin, until Changbin addressed him from the other end of the table, just as they were finishing eating and most of them were sipping on their beers.

“I was meaning to ask you earlier, Chan hyung” and fuck, now everyone seemed to focus on him again. “How have you been? Woojin hyung told me you’re overworking yourself again.”

Chan sighed audibly and downed his drink before answering.

“I’m doing okay Binnie, don’t worry” he pointedly signaled for the barman to bring him another beer in hopes of ending the discussion.

“Woojin hyung, he’s doing it again!” whined Felix, tugging on the eldest’s sleeve. “Make him stoooop”

“But really, you know you can tell us if something is wrong, right?” Jisung gave him a wide-eyed worried look.

 

_Thanks a lot Woojin, you snitch._

 

“I’m really–“

“It’s Chan’s parents again” interjected Woojin before he could say anything else.

A chorus of worried murmurs made Chan’s eye twitch.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle, guys. Don’t worry about hyung” he said coldly.

He didn’t mean to snap, but for god’s sake, he didn’t want to seem incapable of handling his own life. Again.

It was silent only for a moment before Woojin, completely ignoring Chan’s warning glare and obvious ire, went on to explain the situation.  
His hands started shaking.

 

_What the fuck, what the fuck, what the–_

 

Chan startled when he felt someone’s foot rubbing his calf in what seemed like a comforting gesture, and that was the only thing that prevented him from standing up abruptly and leaving in a fit of anger and shame.

It couldn’t be Jisung or Minho, they were sitting on his sides but the angle was wrong. Definitely not Changbin, Seungmin or Woojin – they were sitting too far from him.

He looked up and immediately, because of fucking course, met Jeongin’s unreadable gaze. Could it be-

No. No fucking way. Must have been Felix or Hyunjin.

 

“Oh hyung,” Seungmin sounded exasperated and shook his head. “You could have told us sooner.”

Ah, so the uncalled for story time was over.

Felix, or Hyunjin… well okay, it couldn’t have been Felix – he was currently leaning towards Changbin and whispering something in his ear. So Hyunjin then, retracted his leg, leaving Chan with a cold sensation and more anxiety.

“You really should do something about them, it’s not good for you,” frowned Changbin.

“I’ve got this, so can you mind your own business?” Chan gritted his teeth.

“Channie…”

“No, Woojin. Stop, or I swear to god-“

“I have an idea!”

Everyone whipped their heads to look at Jisung, who was now bouncing in his seat.

“Oh, let’s hear it then, mate” Felix clapped excitedly.

“How about taking your boyfriend to the meeting with your parents?” Jisung looked around the table expectantly, obviously waiting for reactions.

"Jisung, no-"

“What?!”

 

He had enough. For real.

 

“They keep ignoring the fact that you’re gay, right? So shove it in their faces! They either accept it or leave and case closed,” he was way too smug for Chan’s liking.

“However dumb this sounds,” Woojin ignored Jisung’s indignant shout. “I kind of understand your logic.”

“It’s… not exactly a bad idea, surprisingly” Hyunjin bit his lip, deep in thought.

“There’s only one problem though-” started Seungmin, glancing at Chan.

“I don’t have a boyfriend” he finished, shoulders slumping. “And I’m not going to get one just for that day, it wouldn’t feel right.”

“Easy. Get a fake one, then” Chan almost choked on his beer when Jeongin opened his mouth unexpectedly. “With your almost cute face it wouldn’t be too hard to find someone, I suppose.”

“My Jeonginnie is so brilliant,” Felix hugged the protesting youngest and bit his shoulder in his weird way of showing affection.

“But who could be the fake boyfriend? Me and Minho are out, that would be too weird even for us” Jisung tapped his fingers on the table.

“Not Woojin hyung, obviously, since your parents already know him. Felix?”

“Ah, not me. It’s… complicated” the blonde blushed, exchanging a look with Changbin.

“...Right” Jisung rolled his eyes, clearly understanding what the other boy meant. Chan made a mental note to ask Changbin later what it was all about. “So, six out.”

“Six?” 

“Yes Seungmin six, since you would never be able to pretend to be anyone’s boyfriend, even if your life depended on it,” Jisung swatted away Seungmin’s fist to everyone’s amusement.

 

But Chan only felt dread settle over him.

 

“That leaves Jinnie and Jeonginnie” Jisung smiled slyly at the two. “So which one of you wants to fake date our gorgeous hyung?”

Before Hyunjin could open his mouth to agree to the stupid plan, Jeongin beat him to it.

“I’m bored enough, I can do it,” he shrugged. “If an opportunity to piss someone off presents itself, who am I to ignore it?” he winked at Chan, who could only stare in shock.

 

_What._

 

“So that’s settled then” Jisung high-fived Felix. 

 

_WHAT._

 

*

 

“You don’t have to do it, you know?” said Woojin in a worried tone later, at home.

“I know, but-“ Chan gulped audibly, still flabbergasted hours after the meet-up. “It might be the only way out of this toxic situation? Like a shock therapy of sorts?”

“If you’re sure, then what is bothering you?”

Nothing can slip past Kim Woojin, damn it.

“Nothing.”

Woojin contemplated for a while before a weird sparkle appeared in his eyes.

“It’s Jeongin, isn’t it?” he smiled gently.

“N-no!” Chan blushed and thanked all deities for the semi-darkness in the kitchen. “It has nothing to do with him!” he insisted.

“All right,” they both knew he was lying, but his eldest friend dropped it and turned round to take aspirin. Silence fell over them.

 

_Holy shit, fine!_

 

“I don’t get it, why did he even agree to this stupid plan” the words got out on their own volition. “He hates me after all,” the blonde pouted.

Woojin blinked.

“You’re an idiot, Bang Chan” he giggled, shaking his head as he made his way out of the kitchen. “I don’t have time for this bullshit.”

“What do you mean? Wait, where are you going, you meddling asshole?” he followed Woojin.

“Away from you!” and he just fucking slammed his bedroom door in his face.

“Unbelievable.”

 

*

 

**_Unknown_ **  
_Are you free today hyung?_

 

The deadline for his current project was fast approaching, which means Chan had no patience left for any random bullshit.

**_You_ **

_wrong number_

**_Unknown_ **  
_You don’t even have my number after all this time, Channie hyung?  
You wound me_

 

“Fucking hell,” the blonde man almost dropped his phone when he realized who had just texted him.

**_You_ **

_Jeongin?_

**_Jeongin_ **  
_The one and only  
So, are you free today?_

**_You_ **

_why?_

**_Jeongin_ **  
_We should think of a plan, duh  
You want us to be convincing, don’t you?_

 

Chan whined and bumped his forehead on the desk a few times. He completely forgot about that. Holy shit, he was going to fucking murder Jisung for coming up with the idea. There was just no way that they could fool his parents, when Chan was dreading even meeting up with the kid face to face.

He bit his lip.

He could just tell him to forget about it and just suffer through the visit alone. And pretend to be someone else in front of his parents… and then suffer again through many phone calls and maybe even more visits…

**_You_ **

_the same café as last time 6pm_

_don’t be late_

 

He was so going to regret that decision.

 

*

 

Chan really wouldn’t be himself if he kept track of time at work. So it came as no surprise that when he looked at the time it was already a quarter to six, and he had less than a minute to pack his things up and leave for the café, if he wanted to make it on time.

He sprinted all the way, almost getting run over by a kid on a skateboard, but he entered the building exactly one minute past six.

He stood near the entrance for a moment to catch his breath.

 

“Chan hyung!” Jeongin waved at him from a table in a corner, slightly hidden from the view by a decorative folding screen.

Chan dragged himself over to the younger, fighting the urge to just turn around and flee. He wasn't ready at all.

“Well, well, well, look who turned up two minutes late.”

Right. Chan should have known that the boy would point it out. He plopped down on a chair in front of Jeongin and ordered only a coke – he wasn’t planning on staying long enough to eat.

“Let’s get this over with, I’m tired,” he pouted.

 

Jeongin sipped on his coffee that he obviously got a while earlier and cleared his throat.

“All right then. When is D-day? How much time do we have?”

“They’ll come in about two weeks,” mumbled Chan. “And what do we need time for? I’ll text you the address and time, you’ll drop by, we’ll say we’re a couple, my parents will leave angry and never come back. That’s it.”

Jeongin chuckled humourlessly. 

“You really think they will believe that kind of weak acting? You can’t even look me in the face now, hyung” Chan wanted to wipe that infuriating smirk off of the boy’s face, but ultimately couldn’t say anything back since he had a point (however much Chan would love to argue). “And if you want me to help you out, we’re going all the way and I’m going to have fun.” The boy pretended to be deep in thought. 

“Unless you’d rather not do it after all?”

Chan deflated visibly.

“Okay” he agreed finally, staring stubbornly at the table and regretting every decision made that led to this particular moment.

 

“Look at me, hyung” the softly spoken words were uttered with a dark undertone that made it impossible for Chan to ignore them.

 

Their eyes met and immediately Chan felt the compulsion to look away from that dispassionate gaze. He didn’t, but only because he felt as if he would somehow loose if he did break the contact. 

So he let himself finally really look at Jeongin. His eyes traced the slope of his nose, his sharp cheekbones and jaw line, the mop of red hair (noticing a few unruly strands that made his hand twitch), and stopped for a second on the lips.

Lips, that fucking formed a mocking smile.

“Like what you see, hyung?”

Chan huffed and averted his gaze, proving the younger’s point. He was hopeless.

“So what do you propose?” asked the elder through gritted teeth, lamenting for the loss of his dignity. “It’s my only chance to show them who I truly am, I need this to be perfect.” 

 

To his surprise, Jeongin’s expression changed to a serious one.

 

“You said we have about two weeks, right?” he leaned forward. “Which means we should spend enough time together to be comfortable around each other,” a sly smile appeared on his face again. “We should also practice hand holding and hugging.”

“W-what?!” Chan’s eyes widened in panic. He didn’t sign up for this!

“We’re supposed to be a couple, hyung. That’s what couples do,” answered Jeongin matter-of-factly. He obviously found the whole situation funny as hell – Chan was sure the boy would make fun of him behind his back. Alas, it was a sound logic.

“Okay” he blurted out before he could change his mind and flee the country. He felt awfully humiliated. 

 

Why couldn’t Woojin help him out? Or even Jisung, or Changbin, or literally any of his friends. Maybe it wasn’t too late to ask Hyunjin?

 

“Okay, as much as it was entertaining, I need to leave soon” Jeongin’s voice cut through the tense silence between them, making Chan jump in his seat – he’d been deep in thought for a while, not really paying attention to his surroundings.

“Right, right. Let’s just go” he quickly finished the leftover coke, disgustingly sweet.

“I’ll text you when I’m free next, hyung. We’ll work on that hand holding then,” added Jeongin with a wink. He stood up slowly and it looked as if he was waiting on Chan to head out together.

So, _obviously_ Chan panicked and grabbed his things in a hurry, in order to avoid that scenario.

“Yeah, sure” was the only thing he said, not even registering what he agreed to.

It had been awkward as fuck and Chan was glad it was over. He made his way to the exit without another glance back.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Yell @ me on tumblr (chaotic-anssiindustrial)/twt (anssiindustrial).


End file.
